Dynamic Telephone Directory for Wireless Handsets

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods deliver a dynamic telephone directory to wireless handsets of emergency services personnel for responding to an incident. When an incident occurs, wireless handsets of emergency services personnel near the incident are identified. An incident-specific telephone directory is generated using information stored in a database of emergency response personnel including wireless handsets of emergency services personnel within an incident response area plus personnel outside the area with responsibilities for managing or assisting in the incident response. The incident-specific telephone directory is then delivered to wireless handsets of emergency services personnel. The database of emergency services personnel and the incident-specific telephone directory may be organized by name, roles and responsibilities, agency, geography, incident type, and response plan. Wireless handsets within an incident response area may be those wireless handsets accessing a private network provided for emergency communications or by wireless handsets reporting their location to a central server.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/058,308 which was filed on Jun. 6, 2008 theentire contents of which is hereby incorporated that by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a wireless mobilecommunication system, and more particularly to methods and systems whichprovides dynamic telephone directories for wireless mobile devices.

BACKGROUND

The popularity of cellular communication devices has dramaticallyincreased in recent years. As a result most emergency services personnelown or use a cellular telephone or mobile device with cellularcommunication capability (referred to herein as a “wireless handset”) ona daily basis. Thus, cellular telephones and the cellular communicationsystem provide a robust and flexible communication system that can beleveraged by emergency response teams, city and county governments, andregional and national disaster relief and response organizations.

Nevertheless, the cellular communication infrastructure is potentiallyvulnerable to hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist strikes and similarevents. For example, in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, emergencypersonnel responding to the disaster were hobbled by the collapse of theNew Orleans cellular communication infrastructure. To address suchvulnerabilities, additional cellular communication capacity can be addedto a disaster region by activating a deployable cellular communicationsystem to provide emergency response teams and personnel with theability to wirelessly communicate. Such recently developed deployableunits, referred to herein as a “switch on wheels,” can include aCDMA2000 base station and switch, Land Mobile Radio (LMR)interoperability equipment, a satellite Fixed Service Satellite (FSS)ground station for remote interconnection to the Internet and PSTN, and,optionally, a source or remote electrical power such as a gasoline ordiesel powered generator. A more complete description of an exampledeployable switch on wheels is provided in U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/249,143 filed Oct. 10, 2008 which claims the benefit of priorityto U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/979,341 filed Oct. 11, 2007, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

These switch on wheels are effectively mobile cellular base stationswhich may be deployed in an incident response area and operated as acellular tower antenna. The switch on wheels sends and receivescommunication signals from a plurality of wireless handsets and servesas a gateway portal to the rest of the conventional communicationsinfrastructure including the public switch telephone network (PSTN) andInternet. Communications between the switch on wheels and a wirelesshandset are broken down into packets for transport as a VOIPcommunication, and then transmitted via satellite to a ground stationoutside the disaster area from which the call is forwarded through thetelephone network or the Internet to the recipient.

Whether emergency response personnel are communicating using commercialcellular networks or a deployable cellular switch on wheels, they needto know who to call. While organization charts and telephone directorscan be useful in normal circumstances, during an emergency situation,determining who is available and nearby can be difficult.

SUMMARY

The various embodiment methods and systems deliver an incident-specifictelephone directory to the wireless handsets of emergency responsepersonnel to enable effective and efficient cellular communicationduring emergency response and disaster relief situations (i.e.,incidents). A central database may be maintained with the names andcontact information for emergency services personnel as well as federal,regional, and local government agency personnel. When an incidentoccurs, the central database can be used to generate anincident-specific telephone directory identifying those individualson-scene as well as individuals in other locations who are also involvedin supporting a response to the incident. The incident-specifictelephone directory provided to wireless handsets can be configuredbased on the location of wireless handsets (e.g., those on-scene ornearby), the roles and responsibilities of emergency services personnel,the location of the incident, and the type of incident involved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutepart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention. Together with the general description given above and thedetailed description given below, the drawings serve to explain featuresof the invention.

FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of an embodiment method for deployingdynamic telephone directories to wireless handsets of emergency responsepersonnel.

FIG. 2 is a communication system component diagram of an emergencycellular communication system operating on a deployable wireless basestation.

FIG. 3 is a communication system component diagram of a cellularcommunication network including a central database server and databaseaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an example data table suitable for use in a central databaseof emergency services personnel according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram of example steps that may beimplemented in a central database server to accomplish steps 30 and 40illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram of example steps that may beimplemented in a central database server to accomplish step 50illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7A is a process flow diagram of example steps that may beimplemented in a central database server according to an alternativeembodiment.

FIG. 7B is a process flow diagram of example steps that may beimplemented in a wireless handsets support the steps illustrated in FIG.7A.

FIG. 8 is an example data table of a dynamic telephone directorysuitable for use in various embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram of example steps that may beimplemented to provide the dynamic telephone directory to new emergencyservices personnel added to their response team during an incident.

FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram for removing wireless handsets fromthe dynamic telephone directory in response to wireless handsets beinglost or personnel leaving the scene.

FIG. 11 is a component block diagram of an example wireless handsetsuitable for use with the various embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a component block diagram of a server suitable for use withthe various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.References made to particular examples and implementations are forillustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention or the claims.

As used herein, the terms “wireless handset,” “mobile handset,”“cellular telephone,” “cell phone” and “mobile device” are usedinterchangeably and refer to any one of various cellular telephones,personal data assistants (PDA's), palm-top computers, laptop computerswith wireless modems, wireless electronic mail receivers (e.g., theBlackberry® and Treo® devices), multimedia Internet enabled cellulartelephones (e.g., the iPhone®), and similar personal electronic devices.A wireless handset may include a programmable processor and memory whichcan store an telephone directory data file. In a preferred embodiment,the wireless handset is a cellular handheld device (e.g., a cellphone),which can communicate via a cellular telephone network.

To provide emergency response teams and personnel with the ability tocommunicate in such situations, deployable cellular communicationantennas have been developed. Such deployable units, referred to hereinas a “switch on wheels,” can include any wireless base station such asCDMA2000/EVDO, WCDMA, LTE, IS-136, GSM, WiMax, WiFi, AMPS, DECT,TD-SCDMA, or TD-CDMA and switch, Land Mobile Radio (LMR)interoperability equipment, a satellite Fixed Service Satellite (FSS)ground station for remote interconnection to the Internet and the PSTN,and, optionally, a source or remote electrical power such as a gasolineor diesel powered generator. A deployed switch on wheels can supportcellular telephone communications for both GSM (Global System for MobileCommunications) and CDMA (code division multiple access) technologies,which are the cellular telephone technologies in widespread use. A morecomplete description of an example deployable switch on wheels isprovided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/249,143 filed Oct. 10,2008 which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/979,341 filed Oct. 11, 2007, the entire contents ofwhich are incorporated by reference above.

A deployable switch on wheels provides first responders with a portal tothe conventional communications infrastructure outside the emergencylocation that remains unaffected by the emergency. Much like a mobilecellular antenna tower, the switch on wheels provides first responderswith the ability to utilize their conventional cellular telephones evenwhen the conventional stationary cellular tower antennas have beendamaged, destroyed or otherwise disabled. The deployable switch onwheels includes a mobile cellular antenna that can be deployed to act asa temporary cellular tower antenna. The deployable switch on wheels mayhave a broadcast range approximating that of a conventional cellulartower antenna, can send and receive communication signals to/from aplurality of wireless handsets, and serves as a gateway portal to therest of the conventional communications infrastructure. When acommunication signal is received by the switch on wheels from one of theplurality of wireless handsets, the communication signal may be brokendown into data packets for transport as a voice-over-Internet-protocol(VoIP) communication. The VoIP communication signal can be transmittedvia a satellite owned by a satellite service provider to a groundstation far from the emergency location where the communication can beforwarded through the Internet to the intended call recipient'stelephone number. When a call is initiated and intended for one of theplurality of wireless handsets utilizing the switch on wheels as itslocal base station, the call is routed from the cellular communicationnetwork or PSTN from which the call is initiated to the satelliteservice provider's router via satellite relay to the switch on wheelswhere the call is ultimately forwarded to the intended wireless handset.

Depending on the magnitude of the disaster situation, multiple switcheson wheels may be deployed to the disaster area. Deploying multipleswitch on wheels within a region creates an ad hoc wirelesscommunication network which provides first responders with adequatenetwork coverage to effectively utilize their wireless handsets untilthe commercial cellular communications infrastructure can be returned toservice. In long term disaster situations, such as may occur when acoastal region is affected by a major hurricane, the switch on wheelsnetwork may remain in place for an extended period of time untilconventional communications infrastructure can be repaired or replaced.

The various embodiments function to provide personnel responding to amajor homeland security or public safety incident with a dynamictelephone directory delivered automatically to their personal wirelesshandsets. The dynamic telephone directory provided to wireless handsetscan be based on the geographic location of a wireless handset, the rolesand responsibilities of the person associated with that wirelesshandset, and the type of incident involved. The various embodimentsautomatically transform the wireless handset (e.g., conventionaltelephones) owned by first responders (e.g., police, fire, ambulance,FEMA, public utilities, etc.), emergency coordinators and governmentofficials into preconfigured incident communicators, with the names andnumbers of everyone that they might need to contact while responding tothe incident stored in the wireless handset itself. Enabling emergencyservices personnel to identify who is available on-scene and call themwith the touch of a button should help improve interoperablecommunications during the stress of responding to a significantincident, as well as between first responders and supporting agencies.

In an embodiment the names, numbers, roles and responsibilities andother information for all Federal, State and local emergency servicespersonnel are maintained in a central database 316 (see FIG. 2) coupledto a central database server 314. Individual data records may be groupedor indexed by Federal, State and local agency. They may also be groupedor indexed according to National Response Plan (NRP) incidents and/orpreplanned mission assignments; in accordance with regional responseplans; and in accordance with the response plans of other organizationsand companies that have established emergency response plans andcoordinators. This central database 316 can be centrally located andcentrally managed through the central database server 314. Preferablythe central database 316 is updated regularly to ensure that individualcontact records are current. Information may be stored in accordancewith standard protocols, such as LDAP, to ensure information can beexchanged with typical first responder directory services and emailsystems, such as Microsoft Active Directory and Exchange.

During an incident, a central database server 314 coupled to the centraldatabase 316 and various communication networks can generate anincident-specific telephone directory for delivery to wireless handsetsof selected agency and emergency response personnel containingincident-specific contact information such as the names and phonenumbers of all individuals and agencies required to deal with theparticular type of incident or location. In addition, theincident-specific telephone directory may contain other contactinformation such as SMS, EMS, MMS contact addresses, email addresses,etc. When commercial cellular networks are unavailable, an embodimentsystem may detect which individuals are in the incident area based ontheir wireless handsets accessing deployed switch on wheels privatenetworks. Upon determining which personnel are on-scene or nearby, anembodiment system can dynamically push to the wireless handsets ofresponding personnel an incident-specific telephone directory containingthe contact information of all emergency response personnel who areon-scene or nearby, as well as agencies available to help deal with theincident. The delivery of incident-specific telephone directors can beaccomplished via commercial cellular services as well as deployed switchon wheels private networks provided for emergency services personnel. Byautomatically providing emergency services personnel with a telephonedirectory of those on-scene as well as available support services andgovernment agencies, the various embodiments facilitate rapid andeffective communications during incidents.

The dynamic telephone directory can be transmitted from a centraldatabase server 314 to the client wireless handsets in the incidentresponse area using XML-based Over The Air (OTA) transmissions inaccordance with Open Mobile Alliance Data Synchronization (OMA-DS)standards. Wireless handsets of emergency services and government agencypersonnel may be pre-provisioned with configurations and software toensure the wireless handsets can communicate with the central databaseserver 314 and deployable switch on wheel, as well as receive andprocess dynamic telephone directory updates.

A functional overview of the various embodiments is illustrated inFIG. 1. When an incident occurs, which may be determined by activationof an emergency private network, step 20, or designation by anappropriate government agency, the temporary base station within theswitch on wheels may detect and identify the active wireless devices ofemergency response personnel in the response area and using the privatenetwork, step 30. As wireless handsets attempt to access the privatenetwork for cellular communications they communicate their identifierinformation, such as their Electronic Serial Number (ESN) or MobileIdentification Number (MIN), to the network. Computers within the switchon wheels use the wireless handset identifiers (e.g., ESN or MIN) toverify that each wireless handset is authorized to access to the privatenetwork. Deployable switch on wheel units have limited capacity and thusare reserved for emergency services personnel responding to theemergency. Identifiers for wireless handsets granted access to theprivate network, or an identifier for the associated emergency servicespersonnel, can be communicated to a central database server 314 (seeFIG. 1). The central database server 314 is informed of the incidenttype and location, and based upon this information, the central databaseserver 314 selects a prepared response plan, such as a NRP, appropriateto the particular incident and location. Alternatively, emergencymanagement personnel may select the appropriate NRP or other responseplan and identify the selection to the central database server 314.Based on the received emergency services personnel identifiers, incidenttype, location and selected response plan, the central database server314 compiles a dynamic telephone directory listing contact details forall emergency services personnel on-scene or nearby, as well asgovernment and private resources and organizations available to dealwith that incident, step 40. Once the dynamic telephone directory iscompiled, a Server Alerted Synchronization Notification procedure (orother mechanism for communicating with mobile devices) is used toinstruct all wireless handsets connected to the network in the responsearea (or all wireless handsets listed in the dynamic telephonedirectory) to establish a data communication session back to the centraldatabase server 314. As each wireless handset establishes a session withthe central database server 314, WBXML messaging can be used to send theincident-specific dynamic telephone directory out to the appropriatewireless handsets, step 50. Since other emergency services personnel mayarrive on-scene, the embodiment system may continue to detect otherwireless handsets connecting to the private network, repeating step 30.As new personnel arrive on-scene with their wireless handsets, theembodiment system may update the dynamic telephone directory, repeatingstep 40, and push out the updated directory to new arrivals, repeatingstep 50, as well as periodically sending out an updated dynamictelephone directory to wireless handsets of all personnel involved inthe incident response. This process can continue until the incidentresponse is terminated.

FIG. 2 illustrates a private communication network that may beestablished in an emergency situation using a deployable switch onwheels 302. A switch on wheels 302 deployed at an emergency responsesite may support cellular communications with plurality of conventionalwireless handsets 301 a-301 d within communication range. For purpose ofillustration, wireless handsets 301 a and 301 b are illustrated as GSMdevices which communicate with a GSM transceiver 303 within the switchon wheels 302, while wireless handsets 301 c and 301 d are CDMA deviceswhich communicate with a CDMA transceiver 304 within the switch onwheels 302. Being owned by emergency services personnel, the wirelesshandsets 301 a-301 d may be provisioned with the system identificationnumber (SID) of the switch on wheels network 302, so the SID will appearin the primary preferred roaming list (PRL) system table of theseauthorized wireless handsets. Additionally, the identification numbersassigned to emergency services personnel wireless handsets 301 a-301 d,such as the Electronic Serial Number (ESN) or Mobile IdentificationNumber (MIN), will be known to the switch on wheels 302 by being storedin a database maintained within the switch on wheels or in a database towhich the switch on wheels 302 has a communication link. So provisioned,the wireless handsets 301 a-301 d can access and will be immediatelyrecognized by the switch on wheels 302 to send and receive voice anddata signals via the switch on wheels 302 private network. Consequently,if an emergency situation develops and the switch on wheels 302 isdeployed, wireless handsets 301 a-301 d will be able to access theprivate network provided by the switch on wheels 302 in a roaming mode.In this manner, the emergency services personnel who own the wirelesshandsets 301 a-301 d will be provided with full communicationcapabilities in an emergency situation where a switch on wheels 302 hasbeen deployed.

As shown in FIG. 2, wireless handsets 301 a-301 d communicate witheither a GSM transceiver 303 or a CDMA transceiver 304 located withinthe deployable switch on wheels 302. The communication signals receivedfrom the GSM transceiver 303 and CDMA transceiver 304 are sent to a VoIPRouter 305 located within the switch on wheels 302 to convert thecommunication signals into IP packets capable of being transmitted overthe Internet. As part of the communication signals received by thedeployable switch on wheels 302, location coordinates derived fromeither handset provided geodetic information or the location of theswitch on wheels, as well as wireless handset phone number data, may betransmitted with the communication signal.

The signals from the VoIP router 305 are sent to a satellite systemrouter 306, such as an iDirect unit, as IP packets. The satellite routedIP packets are relayed to a satellite uplink unit 307 where the IPpackets are transmitted to a geosynchronous communication satellite 308.The satellite uplink unit 307 may include a satellite signal transceivercoupled to a deployable satellite communication antenna. The IP packetsare relayed by the satellite 308 to a satellite downlink 309 such asmaintained by a satellite service provider. The received IP packets arereceived by the satellite router 310 located in the satellite serviceprovider facility and routed to an Edge Router 311. The Edge Router 311routes communications to their intended destination via the Internet 312or the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 313. For communicationsaddressed to the central database server 314, the edge router 311 willroute such communications via the Internet 312 to the IP address of thecentral database server 314. The central database server 314 may beconnected to a central database 316, such as a large data repositorydisk drive, by a direct cable connection or a local area network.

In a similar manner, the central database server 314 can communicatewith the wireless handsets 301 a-301 d by routing messages via theInternet 312 to the edge router 311 which ensures that the messages arerouter via the satellite 308 to the switch on wheels 302 for broadcastto the individual wireless handsets 301 a-301 d. Thus, using the networkillustrated in FIG. 2 wireless handsets 301 a-301 d can initiate a datacommunication session with the central database server 314 via theswitch on wheels 302 and satellite service provider (308-311) to adistant connection to the Internet 312. Similarly, the central databaseserver 314 can accept that connection and communicate via the satelliteservice provider and switch on wheels 302 to download the dynamictelephone directory to each wireless handset with which it has anestablished communication connection.

While the embodiments are of great usefulness when a major disasterstrikes that requires the deployment of a deployable switch on wheels,and the various embodiments may also be of utility in less significantincidents where commercial cellular communications remain available. Insuch situations, emergency services personnel may rely upon theirwireless handsets for communications making use of the robust nature ofthe commercial cellular communications infrastructure. Nevertheless,emergency services personnel would benefit from having anincident-specific telephone directory to enable them to contact otherpersonnel in the vicinity as well as government agencies and entitieswho can provide support. In such situations, the wireless handsets ofemergency services personnel can access the central database server 314using the commercial cellular network 320 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Withcommercial cellular communications available, wireless handsets 301a-301 d will communicate with the nearest cellular telephone basestation antenna 321. The base station 321 connects via a base stationcontroller (BSC)/radio network controller (RNC) 322 to a MobileSwitching Center (MSC) 324. The MSC 324 contains both a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) interface for connecting to the PSTN 313, andan Internet interface for connecting to the Internet 312. Calls made toand from any of the multiple wireless handsets 301 a-301 may be routedvia conventional landlines over the PSTN 313 or Internet 312 using VoIP.Communications between the wireless handsets 301 a-301 and the centraldatabase server 314 may be accomplished via the commercial cellulartelephone network 320 and the Internet 312.

To enable the various embodiments, a central database 316 of emergencyservice personnel contact information is provided, such as in a centrallocation. This central database 316 may be of any conventional databasedesign, such as in the form of a data table illustrated in FIG. 4 forcomprising numerous data records (illustrated as rows) made up ofseveral data fields (illustrated as columns). For example, each datarecord may be associated with a single individual and include datafields for storing information regarding the individual, such as: aunique ID (e.g., the ESN or at MIN of the individual's wireless handset,or another identify linked to the wireless handset); name (e.g. lastname, first name, middle initial and title); role/responsibility (e.g.,job title, rank or grade, assignment or responsibility, etc.); agency ororganization (not shown); wireless handset telephone number; regionalresponsibility or jurisdiction; communication network accessdesignations (which may be useful in situations where an emergencyresponse includes establishing a number of restricted communicationnetworks); contact lists (which may be used to identify groups ofindividuals that need to be included within telephone directories);national response plans (NRP) for which they need to be included in atelephone directory; and other information which may be useful for thepurpose of generating incident-specific telephone directories. Inaddition, data records may contain other contact information such asSMS, EMS, MMS contact addresses, email addresses, etc. not shown in FIG.4. To facilitate generation of incident-specific telephone directories,the central database 316 may be indexed according to a variety of datafields. For example, the individual ID may serve as a primary key to therecords to enable the database to find the individual data records whenan individual ID is provided, such as by the deployable switch on wheelsas described herein. As another example, the data records may be indexedbased on agency, communication networks, contact lists, NRP, and name.Using such indices, telephone directories can be quickly assembled basedon and sorted by any of the data are contained within the database.

In an embodiment, every emergency services personnel within the UnitedStates may be included within the central database 316, with thisinformation updated on a regular basis. However, in another embodiment,only a portion of the emergency services personnel are maintained withinthe central database 316, while data records are included forindividuals that should be included in certain incident-specifictelephone directories even though the specific individual is not yetknown. For example, the central database 316 may include a placeholderrecord for the state governor as illustrated in record ID 382 so thatthe governor's role, responsibilities, networks, contact lists andresponse plan participation can be identified in advance even thoughgovernors change with each election and an emergency situation may arisein any state. Similarly, placeholder records may be provided for localmayors, emergency managers, fire commanders, local police, local fire,and local emergency medical technicians (EMT) personnel. When anincident occurs, operators may be able to quickly identify the localindividuals who will fill the role for which placeholder records areprovided and quickly include that information within the centraldatabase 316. Also, as an incident response proceeds, individuals may beadded to the telephone directory such as by implementing methodsdescribed below with reference to FIG. 9. As individuals are added whoserole or responsibility matches a particular placeholder record, theirinformation may be added into the appropriate data fields within theplaceholder record.

The central database 316 and the associated central database server 314may be located anywhere in the country, such as in any NationalOperations Center (NOC). Multiple copies of the central database 316 maybe maintained in various locations around the country to ensure itsavailability in the time of crisis. Additionally, a copy of the centraldatabase 316 may be provided within servers included within thedeployable switch on wheels 302 so that the switch on wheels is capableof generating the incident-specific telephone directory itself withouthaving to reach out to the central database server 314. Thus, in anembodiment, the functionality described herein as being performed withinthe central database server 314 can be performed by a server includedwithin the switch on wheels 302.

Further details regarding the generation of an incident-specifictelephone directory are illustrated in FIG. 5. When a deployable switchon wheels 302 is activated in an emergency situation, nearby wirelesshandsets owned by emergency service personnel will begin to access theprivate cellular communication network. This can occur automatically asemergency service personnel wireless handsets may be provisioned withthe SID and frequency channels of the deployable switch on wheels 302 sothat when they detect the SID and frequencies, the wireless handsetsattempt to access the network in roaming mode. As described above,access to the private cellular network is granted if the switch onwheels 302 recognizes the wireless handset's ID (e.g., ESN or MIN). Aswireless handsets login to the private cellular network, the deployableswitch on wheels 302 collects the wireless handset IDs, step 32. After asufficient number of wireless handset IDs have been collected, thedeployable switch on wheels 302 transmits a list of the IDs to thecentral database server 314, step 34. This information may betransmitted to the central database server 314 via a communicationssatellite 308 for relay to the Internet 312.

Upon receiving the wireless handset IDs for the wireless handsets loggedin to the private network provided by the deployable switch on wheels302, the central database server 314 can begin to assemble aincident-specific telephone directory, step 40. To do so, the centraldatabase server 314 may correlate the wireless handset IDs to emergencyservice personnel data records within the central database 316, step 42.In doing so, the central database server 314 may access each of thecorresponding individual data records, and using that informationassemble a list of the on scene emergency service personnel, step 43.This list may include name, telephone number, incident response rolesand responsibilities, and other information that may be useful to thoseresponding to the particular incident. Such additional information mayalso include addresses for SMS, EMS, MMS, electronic mail, etc. As partof this process, either before, during or after assembling the list ofon-scene emergency service personnel, the central database server mayreceive information regarding the type of incident, its location, andany NRP or local response plan, step 44. Such information may beprovided by an operator connected to the central database server 314, orby a national, regional or local emergency response agency logged intothe central database server 314. In an embodiment, the central databaseserver 314 may be configured with software to determine automaticallythe location and appropriate NRP based upon the informationautomatically provided by the deployed switch on wheels.

Using information regarding the incident type, location and a selectedresponse plan, the central database server 314 can add appropriateindividuals from agencies, local governments and aid organizations tothe list of on-scene emergency service personnel, step 45. Theindividuals added to the list at this stage may be selected based uponinformation contained in their respective data records within thecentral database 316, such as their region or location, roll orresponsibility, contact lists or NRP participation. For example, toassemble this portion of the list, the central database 316 may besearched to identify all individuals whose data records indicate theyshould participate in an incident of the particular type, particularlocation, and selected NRP or local response plan. As mentioned above,such searching may be aided by indexing the central database 316 foreach of these various data fields.

With the list of individuals assembled, the central database 316 maysort, organize or otherwise format the list into a telephone directorysuitable for delivery to wireless handsets, step 46. In doing so, thecentral database 316 may use established protocols, such as LDAP(Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) which is a software protocolenabling anyone to locate organizations, individuals, and otherresources (such as files and devices) in a network, including the publicInternet. Additionally, the central database server 314 may organize thetelephone directory entries so that they are compatible with phonebookapplications implemented on the various wireless handsets. Also, thetelephone directory may be organized in a manner to facilitate its useby emergency service personnel who are likely to know the name of theagency they need to contact but not the name of the individual.

Finally, with the telephone directory ready for transmission, thecentral database server 314 may issue a server alerted synchronizationnotification, step 51, which informs wireless handsets that they need toestablish a data communication session with the central database server314 which will enable the central data server 314 to transmit thetelephone directory. Instead of a server alerted synchronizationnotification, the central database server 314 may notify wirelesshandsets of the availability of the telephone directory using othermethods for communicating with a large number of wireless handsetssimultaneously, such as broadcast message, SMS message, and e-mailmessage. Once that notification is transmitted, the central databaseserver 314 may stand by to establish sessions with each wireless handsetas it is contacted, step 52.

Further details regarding the delivery of incident-specific telephonedirectories to individual wireless handsets, step 50, are illustrated inFIG. 6. As mentioned above, when the central database server 314 isready to transmit the incident-specific telephone directory it may issuea server alerted synchronization notification or other means ofnotifying wireless handsets, step 51, and standby to receive datacommunication session connections from wireless handsets, step 52. Aseach wireless handset requests a data communication session with thecentral database server 314, the central database server 314 canestablish a link with the requesting wireless handset, step 53. Usingthat established connection, the central database server 314 candownload the telephone directory to the connected wireless handset usingXML-based Over The Air (OTA) transmissions in accordance with the openmobile alliance data synchronization (OMA-DS) standards. The telephonedirectory transmission will be in the form of wireless binary XML(WBXML). As part of the transmission, the central database server 314may request the wireless handset to confirm that the directory was fullyand accurately transmitted, such as by confirming error detectionvalues, step 55. If the wireless handset does not confirm that thetelephone directory was accurately delivered (i.e., test 56=“No”), thecentral database server 314 may retransmit the directory, repeating step54. If the wireless handset does confirm that the telephone directorywas accurately delivered (i.e., test 56=“Yes”), the central databaseserver 314 may direct the wireless handset to notify the user that thenew telephone directory is available for use, step 57, beforeterminating the session.

The various embodiments are not limited to emergency events which do notdisable commercial cellular networks, and thus do not require activationof deployable switch on wheels private networks. In an embodiment, thewireless handsets of emergency response personnel may be configured toreport their locations to the central database server 314 to enable thegeneration of incident-specific telephone directories whencommunications is via commercial cellular networks as described abovewith reference to FIG. 3. Example operational steps performed by thecentral database server 314 in this embodiment are illustrated in FIG.7A.

Since the incidents for which this embodiment is intended may not leadto activation of a switch on wheels private network, the centraldatabase server may be informed of the incident by an operator action atthe outset, step 44. In one implementation, local cellular networks maybe configured to collect the wireless handset IDs from emergencyservices personnel and report this information to the central databaseserver when a local incident is declared (e.g., by FEMA, HAS, etc.),thereby implementing a commercial version of step 32 described abovewith reference to FIG. 5. In another implementation, the wirelesshandsets may be directed to report their own positions to the centraldatabase server 314 by the central database server 314 transmitting aserver alerted synchronization notification, step 60. This message mayrequest all emergency services personnel wireless handsets to establisha connection to the central database server 314 through which thecentral data server may request each connected wireless handset toreport its current location. Alternatively, the central database serveralerted synchronization notification may include a location, such as inthe form of geographic coordinates, and request that all emergencyservices personnel wireless handsets within a defined or preset radiusof the location establish a connection to the central database server.As a third alternative, the central database server alertedsynchronization notification may direct emergency services personnelwireless handsets to determine their positions and to report thisinformation to the central database server by another communicationmeans, such as, for example, electronic mail, SMS message, or an HTTPPost command message sent in an TCP/IP transmission to the server's IPaddress. Further, instead of a server alerted synchronizationnotification, the central database server may request the locationinformation from wireless handsets by sending each an electronicmessage, such as an SMS or e-mail message that can be received andprocessed by the wireless handset. Each of these alternatives, as wellas any other location solicitation messages that can be sent to wirelesshandsets, are encompassed within step 60 in FIG. 7A. Once the centraldatabase server 314 receives the location data and ID from eachemergency services personnel wireless handset, step 68, the centraldatabase server 314 may configure the incident-specific telephonedirectory by completing steps 42-46 (collectively step 40) describedabove with reference to FIG. 5. Similarly, the central database server314 may issue the server alerted synchronization notification, step 51,and enter a standby state, step 52, as described above with reference toFIGS. 5 and 6 above. Then as wireless handsets establish a communicationsession, the central database server 314 may push out the telephonedirectory to the wireless handsets completing steps 53-57 describedabove with reference to FIG. 6.

Most state-of-the-art wireless handsets include global positioningsystem (GPS) receivers 138 (see FIG. 11) within their system circuitry.GPS equipped wireless handsets can obtain their exact coordinateswhenever they can receive signals from at least three GPS satellites.Thus, such wireless handsets can be configured with softwareinstructions to quickly determine their location upon receiving a serveralerted synchronization notification and report this information to thecentral database server 314. Wireless handsets may also report theirlocation determined by GPS receivers to the local cellular communicationnetwork, such as is utilized in some 911 emergency call systems.Wireless handsets which do not include embedded GPS receivers 138 maydetermine their location using information provided by the cellularcommunication network. Base station antennas 321 transmit an identifierto wireless handsets which can be used to determine the location of eachindividual wireless handset as being within communication range of theantenna. Also, cellular communication networks can determine thelocation of wireless handsets as being within the communication range ofa particular base station antenna, as well as by triangulation usingsignals received from three or more base station antennas.

Wireless handsets can be configured with processor-executable softwareinstructions to cooperate with central database server requests forinformation, such as by implementing steps like those illustrated inFIG. 7B. Upon receiving a server alerted synchronization notificationmessage, or other message requesting that the wireless handset to reportits location, step 61, the wireless handset processor 131 (see FIG. 11)may determine its location using a GPS receiver 138 or by othermechanisms described above, step 62. The wireless handset may beconfigured to receive the location request from the central databaseserver, step 61, in a number of different formats, including broadcastmessage, electronic e-mail, SMS message, and a server alertedsynchronization notification. The wireless handset processor 131 mayalso be configured with software to receive location coordinates in theserver alerted synchronization notification (or similar message) andcompare the determined location (step 62) to the received locationcoordinates to determine whether the wireless handset is within an areain which wireless handsets should report their location to the centraldatabase server, referred to herein as a “reporting area,” test 63. Thereporting area may be determined based upon the received locationcoordinates plus a radius that may be predefined in software or includedwithin the server alerted synchronization notification message. Forexample, the processor 131 may be configured with software instructionsto determine that it is within the reporting area if its determinedlocation is within 100 miles of the received location coordinates. Asanother example, the server alerted synchronization notification messagemay include both location coordinates and a distance from thosecoordinates (e.g., 50 miles) within which the wireless handset shouldreport its location. The processor 131 may be configured to ignorenotification messages, step 64, when the determined location is notwithin the reporting area (i.e., test 63=“No”). If the processor 131determines that its location is within the reporting area (i.e., test63=“Yes”), the processor 131 may format a message which includes itsidentifier (ID) and its determined location data, step 65. This messagethen may be transmitted to the central database server 314, step 66. Anyof a variety of transmission methods may be used for transmitting thewireless handset ID and location data, including: establishing aconnection to the central database server 314 and transferring theinformation during a data communication connection session; transmittingthe information as an e-mail or SMS message to the address of thecentral database server 314; and transmitting a HTTP post command in aTCP/IP message sent to the IP address of the central database server314. After transmitting the ID and location data to the central databaseserver 314, the wireless handset may then stand by, step 67, to receivefurther instructions from the central database server, such as a serveralerted synchronization notification signaling that it should establisha session with the central database server 314.

The incident-specific telephone directory may be formatted in the formof a data table that can be implemented on the telephone directories ofemergency services personnel wireless handsets. An example of such adata table is illustrated in FIG. 8. Such data table may include datafields for storing the name of each contact, a data field foridentifying the role responsibility of the contact, a data field for thetelephone number for the contact, and data fields to identify otherinformation regarding the contact. For example, the telephone directorymay include a data field which indicates whether the individual ison-scene or at a remote location, such as in Washington, D.C. or thestate capital. This information may be of great use to emergencyservices personnel who are looking for others on-scene who can help withan urgent situation, or need to contact someone outside the emergencyresponse area to obtain outside assistance. Additionally, the incidentspecific telephone directory may include information regarding thecommunication networks or other communication organization to which theindividual has access. Such information may be useful in determining howbest to connect with that particular individual when communicationresources are stretched thin. In addition, the incident-specifictelephone directory may contain other contact information such as SMS,EMS, MMS contact addresses, email addresses, etc. not shown in FIG. 8.As mentioned above, the incident-specific telephone directory datastructure will preferably be configured so that it is compatible withthe data structure of each wireless handset's phone directoryapplication. Thus, the data structure illustrated in FIG. 8 is forexample purposes only.

During their response to a major incident, it is likely that individualswith useful skills or qualifications, such as doctors, plumbers,security guards, etc. may be deputized to join the response effort.Since most individuals own their own wireless handset, they can easilybe added to the incident response communication network, particularly ifthe commercial cellular telephone network is available. Wirelesshandsets of newly deputized response team members can be provisioned toaccess the private network of a switch on wheels using well-knownprovisioning techniques. To add new response team members to theincident-specific telephone directory, steps such as those illustratedin FIG. 9 may be implemented. Care should be exercised to ensure thatonly actual members of the response team are added to the telephonedirectory in order to avoid confusion and misdirected communications.One method for controlling the addition of individuals to the telephonedirectory is to require someone who is an existing member of theresponse team or otherwise authorized to add individuals to the responseteam to initiate the process. This may be initiated by an authorizedperson calling or sending a data call to the central database serverrequesting to add a new user, step 71. This may be a telephone calldirected to an operator coupled to the central database server 314 (thetelephone number for this operator could be included within theincident-specific telephone directory). Alternatively, this request maybe submitted in the form of an e-mail or SMS message addressed to anoperator or to the central database server itself.

Upon receiving such a telephone or data call, the caller identificationand/or name may be requested, step 72, and, optionally, the caller maybe asked to enter a password to verify himself/herself, step 73. Thecentral database server 314 may look up the caller's name in the centraldatabase 316 in order to obtain the authorized individual's passworddata to compare it to the password provided by the requester, step 74.If the provided password does not match the password stored in theindividual's database record (i.e. test 75=“No”), the operator or thecentral database server may simply end the call, step 76, as theindividual is not authorized to add others to the contact list.Alternatively, in a step not shown in FIG. 9, the operator or centraldatabase server may repeatedly request the caller to provide thepassword information until the correct password is received. However, ifthe provided password matches the password stored in a database (i.e.test 75=“yes”), the central database server 314 may check whether thecaller is authorized to add others to the telephone directory, such asby checking the caller's authorization stored within the caller's datarecord stored in the central database, step 78. Alternatively, thecaller's authority to add others to the telephone directory may beprovided in another database or based upon the individuals rule,responsibility, title, rank or grade which may be stored in a centraldatabase 316. If the caller is not authorized to add others to thetelephone directory (i.e., test 79=“No”), the operator or the centraldatabase server may simply end the call, step 76. If the caller'sidentification is confirmed and the caller is authorized to add a newmember to the response team telephone directory (i.e. test 75 and test79=“Yes”), the caller may be requested to say or enter the new user'smobile device telephone number, step 80. At this point, the voice ordata communication connection to the caller may be ended.

As an alternative to receiving a telephone call, step 71, individualsmay access the central database server 314 via the Internet in order toprovide such information in response to a data entry webpage. In thisalternative, the individual provides their name, ID, password and thetelephone number of the deputized wireless handset to be added inresponse to data entry prompts within the website. The central databaseserver 314 can then use the entered data to verify the individual in amanner substantially the same as that described above.

Once the new telephone number has been provided, step 80, the operatoror the central database server 314 may dial the provided telephonenumber, step 81, in order to speak with the person being added to theresponse team and/or the telephone directory. When a telephoneconnection is established to the individual being added, the operator orcentral database server 314 may request the individual to provide theirname, title, role, responsibility and identifier, step 82. Thisinformation may be provided by a voice, such as using voice recognition,or key entry. Optionally, the individual being added may also berequested to enter a password, step 83, such as by speaking the passwordor entering it using key entry. The received information may then bestored in the central database, step 85. This information may be storedin a temporary record which will be deleted after the present incidentis terminated, or maybe stored permanently, such as when the individualis identified as a permanent emergency services provider. Using theupdated central database, the central database server 314 may thenupdate the incident-specific telephone directory, step 86, such as byadding the new individual to the directory and resorting or reformattingthe directory by re-performing step 46 described above with reference toFIG. 5. The central database server 314 may notify the wireless handsetof the newly added individual of a need to establish a datacommunication session with the central database server in order toreceive a download of the incident-specific telephone directory, step87. This notification may be by electronic mail, and SMS message, or aserver alerted synchronization notification as described in more detailabove. The central database server then may perform steps 52-57described above with reference to FIG. 6 to download the telephonedirectory to use the newly added wireless handset. Finally, the centraldatabase server 314 may notify all wireless handsets involved in theincident response that a new incident-specific telephone directory isavailable for download, such as by issuing a server alertedsynchronization notification, step 51. The updated incident-specifictelephone directory is then downloaded to all wireless handsets by thecentral database server 314 repeating the steps 52-57 described abovewith reference to FIG. 6.

In addition to adding new members to the response team, it may benecessary to delete members from the response team or delete wirelesshandsets from the telephone directory which have been decommissioned,lost or destroyed. By updating the incident-specific telephone directoryto remove telephone numbers which are no longer active or of personnelno longer involved in the incident, individuals will not be mislead orfrustrated by an accurate entries. Example steps that may be implementedto remove records from the telephone directory are illustrated in FIG.10. The central database server 314 may receive a report that a wirelesshandset has been lost or that the emergency services personnel who ownsthe wireless handset is leaving the scene of the incident, step 91. Thisreport may be provided in the form of an e-mail, SMS message or otherelectronic message delivered directly to the central database server314. Alternatively, individuals may telephone at operator connected tothe central database server to verbally report such event. As a furtheralternative, individuals may access the central database server 314 viathe Internet in order to provide such information in response to a dataentry website.

Having received information regarding any lost, decommissioned, ordestroyed wireless handset or a departing owner of a wireless handset,the central database server can update the central database 316 toindicate that the individual is no longer on scene or delete thewireless handset telephone number, step 92. If the emergency or incidentis still ongoing (i.e., test 93=“Yes”), then the central database server314 can prepare a revised telephone directory which reflects thereported changes, step 95. The central database server 314 may thenproceed to distribute the revised telephone directory, such as byissuing a server alerted synchronization notification or otherbroadcasts notification to wireless handsets, step 51, and completingsteps 52-57 as described above with reference to FIG. 6. If however theemergency or incident has been resolved (i.e., test 93=“No”), and thecentral database server may simply update the central database, step 94,without taking any further actions. Thus, this process may be usedduring nonemergency times to enable individuals to update their recordsand report lost, decommissioned or destroyed wireless handsets.

The embodiments described herein may be implemented on any of a varietyof wireless handsets. Typically, such wireless handsets will have incommon the components illustrated in FIG. 11. For example, wirelesshandsets 130 may include a processor 131 coupled to internal memory 132and a display 133. Additionally, wireless handsets 130 will have anantenna 134 for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiation that isconnected to a wireless data link and/or cellular telephone transceiver135 coupled to the processor 131. In some implementations, thetransceiver 135 and portions of the processor 131 and memory 132 usedfor cellular telephone communications are collectively referred to asthe air interface since it provides a data interface via a wireless datalink. Wireless handsets 130 also typically include a key pad 136 orminiature keyboard and menu selection buttons or rocker switches 137 forreceiving user inputs. Wireless handsets 130 may also include a globalpositioning system (GPS) receiver 138 coupled to the antenna 134 and theprocessor 131. As is well known in the art, GPS receivers 138 areintegrated circuit devices which receive GPS satellite signals andderive global position coordinate information from those signals whichcan be provided to the processor 131.

The embodiments described above may also be implemented on any of avariety of server systems such as illustrated in FIG. 12. Such a server160 typically includes a processor 161 coupled to volatile memory 162and a large capacity nonvolatile memory, such as a disk drive 163. Theprocessor 161 is coupled to one or more network interface circuits, suchas high speed modems 164 coupled to a network 165 such as the Internet.The server 160 may also include a portable media reader, such as acompact disc (CD) drive 166 coupled to the processor 161. In someembodiments the server 160 may be coupled to one or more large datastorage unit 167 for storing large databases, such as the centraldatabase described above. Such large data storage units typicallyinclude a large capacity magnetic memory storage disc drive coupled tointerface circuitry for connecting to the server 160.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams areprovided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to requireor imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed inthe order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the artthe order of steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in anyorder.

The hardware used to implement the foregoing embodiments may beprocessing elements and memory elements configured to execute a set ofinstructions, including microprocessor units, microcomputer units,programmable floating point gate arrays (FPGA), and application specificintegrated circuits (ASIC) as would be appreciated by one of skill inthe art, wherein the set of instructions are for performing method stepscorresponding to the above methods. Alternatively, some steps or methodsmay be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented aselectronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Toclearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software,various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and stepshave been described above generally in terms of their functionality.Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or softwaredepends upon the particular application and design constraints imposedon the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the describedfunctionality in varying ways for each particular application, but suchimplementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the present invention.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.The software module may reside in a processor readable storage mediumand/or processor readable memory both of which may be any of RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other tangible form of datastorage medium known in the art. Moreover, the processor readable memorymay comprise more than one memory chip, memory internal to the processorchip, in separate memory chips, and combinations of different types ofmemory such as flash memory and RAM memory. References herein to thememory of a mobile handset are intended to encompass any one or allmemory modules within the mobile handset without limitation to aparticular configuration, type or packaging. An exemplary storage mediumis coupled to a processor in either the mobile handset or the themeserver such that the processor can read information from, and writeinformation to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storagemedium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storagemedium may reside in an ASIC.

The foregoing description of the various embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentinvention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, and instead theclaims should be accorded the widest scope consistent with theprinciples and novel features disclosed herein.

1. A method for providing a dynamic telephone directory to wirelesshandsets of emergency services personnel, comprising: maintaining acentral database of emergency services personnel, the central databaseincluding contact information of emergency services personnel;determining which wireless handsets of emergency services personnel arelocated within an incident response area; configuring a telephonedirectory file including names and wireless handset telephone numbers ofthe emergency services personnel located within the incident responsearea using information contained in the central database; and deliveringthe telephone directory file to the wireless handsets of emergencyservices personnel located within the incident response area.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: selecting emergency servicespersonnel not located within the incident response area that should beincluded in the telephone directory file; and configuring the telephonedirectory file to include the selected emergency services personnel notlocated within the incident response area.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the step of selecting emergency services personnel not locatedwithin the incident response area that should be included in thetelephone directory file is based upon incident type.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the step of selecting emergency services personnel notlocated within the incident response area that should be included in thetelephone directory file is based upon an agency affiliation of theemergency services personnel.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the stepof selecting emergency services personnel not located within theincident response area that should be included in the telephonedirectory file is based upon an incident response responsibility of theemergency services personnel.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the stepof selecting emergency services personnel not located within theincident response area that should be included in the telephonedirectory file is based upon a location of the incident.
 7. The methodof claim 1, wherein the step of determining which wireless handsets ofemergency services personnel are located within the incident responsearea comprises obtaining an identifier for each wireless handsetconnected to a private network provided by a deployable switch onwheels.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whichwireless handsets of emergency services personnel located are within theincident response area comprises: sending a message to wireless handsetsof emergency services personnel requesting the wireless handsets toreport their location; receiving location reports from wireless handsetsof emergency services personnel; and comparing received location reportsto a location of the incident to identify those wireless handsets withinthe incident response area.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the stepof determining which wireless handsets of emergency services personnelare located within the incident response area comprises: sending amessage to wireless handsets of emergency services personnel identifyinga location of the incident and requesting the wireless handsets toreport their location; and receiving location reports from wirelesshandsets of emergency services personnel located within the incidentresponse area.
 10. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of selectingemergency services personnel not located within the incident responsearea that should be included in the telephone directory file furthercomprises: identifying a response plan corresponding to the incidenttype; and determining from the identified response plan emergencyservices personnel and government personnel that should be included inthe telephone directory file.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of delivering the telephone directory file to the wireless handsetsof emergency services personnel located within the incident responsearea comprises delivering the telephone directory file to every wirelesshandset listed in the telephone directory file.
 12. The method of claim1, wherein the step of delivering the telephone directory file to thewireless handsets of emergency services personnel located within theincident response area comprises: notifying wireless handsets toestablish a data communication connection to a central database server;establishing a data communication connection between the centraldatabase server and the wireless handsets; and downloading the telephonedirectory file to the wireless handset via the established datacommunication connection.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofdelivering the telephone directory file to the wireless handsets ofemergency services personnel located within the incident response areacomprises transmitting the telephone directory file to the wirelesshandsets using XML-based Over The Air transmissions in accordance withOpen Mobile Alliance Data Synchronization standards.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the step of configuring the telephone directory filecomprises configuring the telephone directory file in accordance withLightweight Directory Access Protocol standards.
 15. The method of claim1, further comprising: receiving a request to add an individual to thetelephone directory file; verifying that the request is from a personauthorized to add individuals to the telephone directory file; receivinga telephone number of a new wireless handset of the individual to beadded to the telephone directory file if the request is from the personauthorized to add individuals to the telephone directory file;contacting the individual to be added at the received telephone number;obtaining identification information from the individual to be added;storing the obtained identification information and received newwireless handset telephone number in the central database of emergencyservices personnel; revising the telephone directory file to includedthe individual to be added; delivering the revised telephone directoryfile to the new wireless handset of the individual to be added; anddelivering the revised telephone directory file to the wireless handsetsof emergency services personnel located within the incident responsearea.
 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a reportof an old wireless handset no longer in the incident response area;revising the telephone directory file to delete the telephone number ofthe old wireless handset no longer in the incident response area; anddelivering the revised telephone directory file to the wireless handsetsof emergency services personnel located within the incident responsearea.
 17. A server, comprising: a processor; a network interface circuitcoupled to the processor, the network interface circuit configured toconnect the processor to a communication network; and a memory storageunit coupled to the processor, the memory storage unit having storedthereon a database of emergency services personnel including contactinformation of emergency services personnel, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions to perform stepscomprising: determining which wireless handsets of emergency servicespersonnel are located within an incident response area; configuring atelephone directory file including names and wireless handset telephonenumbers of the emergency services personnel located within the incidentresponse area using information contained in the central database; anddelivering the telephone directory file to the wireless handsets ofemergency services personnel located within the incident response area.18. The server of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform steps further comprising:selecting emergency services personnel not located within the incidentresponse area that should be included in the telephone directory file;and configuring the telephone directory file to include the selectedemergency services personnel not located within the incident responsearea.
 19. The server of claim 18, wherein the processor is configuredwith processor-executable instructions such that the step of selectingemergency services personnel not located within the incident responsearea that should be included in the telephone directory file is basedupon incident type.
 20. The server of claim 18, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions such that the step ofselecting emergency services personnel not located within the incidentresponse area that should be included in the telephone directory file isbased upon an agency affiliation of the emergency services personnel.21. The server of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions such that the step of selectingemergency services personnel not located within the incident responsearea that should be included in the telephone directory file is basedupon an incident response responsibility of the emergency servicespersonnel.
 22. The server of claim 18, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions such that the step ofselecting emergency services personnel not located within the incidentresponse area that should be included in the telephone directory file isbased upon a location of the incident.
 23. The server of claim 17,wherein the processor is configured with processor-executableinstructions such that the step of determining which wireless handsetsof emergency services personnel are located within the incident responsearea comprises obtaining an identifier for each wireless handsetconnected to a private network provided by a deployable switch onwheels.
 24. The server of claim 17, wherein the processor is configuredwith processor-executable instructions such that the step of determiningwhich wireless handsets of emergency services personnel are locatedwithin the incident response area comprises: sending a message towireless handsets of emergency services personnel requesting thewireless handsets to report their location; receiving location reportsfrom wireless handsets of emergency services personnel; and comparingreceived location reports to a location of the incident to identifythose wireless handsets within the incident response area.
 25. Theserver of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions such that the step of determiningwhich wireless handsets of emergency services personnel are locatedwithin the incident response area comprises: sending a message towireless handsets of emergency services personnel identifying a locationof the incident and requesting the wireless handsets to report theirlocation; and receiving location reports from wireless handsets ofemergency services personnel located with in the incident response area.26. The server of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions such that the step of selectingemergency services personnel not located within the incident responsearea that should be included in the telephone directory file furthercomprises: identifying a response plan corresponding to the incidenttype; and determining from the identified response plan emergencyservices personnel and government personnel that should be included inthe telephone directory file.
 27. The server of claim 17, wherein theprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions such thatthe step of delivering the telephone directory file to the wirelesshandsets of emergency services personnel located within the incidentresponse area comprises delivering the telephone directory file to everywireless handset listed in the telephone directory file.
 28. The serverof claim 17, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions such that the step of delivering thetelephone directory file to the wireless handsets of emergency servicespersonnel located within the incident response area comprises: notifyingwireless handsets to establish a data communication connection to acentral database server; establishing a data communication connectionbetween the central database server and the wireless handsets; anddownloading the telephone directory file to wireless handsets via theestablished data communication connection.
 29. The server of claim 17,wherein the processor is configured with processor-executableinstructions such that the step of delivering the telephone directoryfile to the wireless handsets of emergency services personnel locatedwithin the incident response area comprises transmitting the telephonedirectory file to the wireless handsets using XML-based Over The Airtransmissions in accordance with Open Mobile Alliance DataSynchronization standards.
 30. The server of claim 17, wherein theprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions such thatthe step of configuring the telephone directory file comprisesconfiguring the telephone directory file in accordance with LightweightDirectory Access Protocol standards.
 31. The server of claim 17, whereinthe processor is configured with processor-executable instructions toperform steps further comprising: receiving a request to add anindividual to the telephone directory file; verifying that the requestis from a person authorized to add individuals to the telephonedirectory file; receiving a telephone number of a new wireless handsetof the individual to be added to the telephone directory file if therequest is from the person authorized to add individuals to thetelephone directory file; contacting the individual to be added at thereceived telephone number; obtaining identification information from theindividual to be added; storing the obtained identification informationand received new wireless handset telephone number in the database ofemergency services personnel; revising the telephone directory file toincluded the individual to be added; delivering the revised telephonedirectory file to the new wireless handset of the individual to beadded; and delivering the revised telephone directory file to thewireless handsets of emergency services personnel located within theincident response area.
 32. The server of claim 17, wherein theprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions toperform steps further comprising: receiving a report of an old wirelesshandset no longer in the incident response area; revising the telephonedirectory file to delete a telephone number of the old wireless handsetno longer in the incident response area; and delivering the revisedtelephone directory file to the wireless handsets of emergency servicespersonnel located within the incident response area.
 33. Aserver-readable tangible storage medium having stored thereonserver-processor executable instructions configured to cause a serverprocessor to perform steps comprising: determining which wirelesshandsets of emergency services personnel are located within an incidentresponse area; configuring a telephone directory file including contactinformation of the emergency services personnel located within theincident response area using information contained in a database ofemergency services personnel; and delivering the telephone directoryfile to the wireless handsets of emergency services personnel locatedwithin the incident response area.
 34. The server-readable tangiblestorage medium of claim 33 having stored thereon server-processorexecutable instructions configured to cause a server processor toperform steps further comprising: selecting emergency services personnelnot located within the incident response area that should be included inthe telephone directory file; and configuring the telephone directoryfile to include the selected emergency services personnel not locatedwithin the incident response area.
 35. The server-readable tangiblestorage medium of claim 34 having stored thereon server-processorexecutable instructions configured to cause a server processor such thatthe step of selecting emergency services personnel not located withinthe incident response area that should be included in the telephonedirectory file is based upon incident type.
 36. The server-readabletangible storage medium of claim 34 having stored thereonserver-processor executable instructions configured to cause a serverprocessor such that the step of selecting emergency services personnelnot located within the incident response area that should be included inthe telephone directory file is based upon an agency affiliation of theemergency services personnel.
 37. The server-readable tangible storagemedium of claim 34 having stored thereon server-processor executableinstructions configured to cause a server processor such that the stepof selecting emergency services personnel not located within theincident response area that should be included in the telephonedirectory file is based upon an incident response responsibility of theemergency services personnel.
 38. The server-readable tangible storagemedium of claim 34 having stored thereon server-processor executableinstructions configured to cause a server processor such that the stepof selecting emergency services personnel not located within theincident response area that should be included in the telephonedirectory file is based upon a location of the incident.
 39. Theserver-readable tangible storage medium of claim 33 having storedthereon server-processor executable instructions configured to cause aserver processor such that the step of determining which mobile devicesof emergency services personnel are located within the incident responsearea comprises obtaining an identifier for each wireless handsetconnected to a private network provided by a deployable switch onwheels.
 40. The server-readable tangible storage medium of claim 33having stored thereon server-processor executable instructionsconfigured to cause a server processor such that the step of determiningwhich wireless handsets of emergency services personnel located arewithin the incident response area comprises: sending a message towireless handsets of emergency services personnel requesting thewireless handsets to report their location; receiving location reportsfrom wireless handsets of emergency services personnel; and comparingreceived location reports to a location of the incident to identifythose wireless handsets within the incident response area.
 41. Theserver-readable tangible storage medium of claim 33 having storedthereon server-processor executable instructions configured to cause aserver processor such that the step of determining which wirelesshandsets of emergency services personnel are located within the incidentresponse area comprises: sending a message to wireless handsets ofemergency services personnel identifying a location of the incident andrequesting the wireless handsets to report their location; and receivinglocation reports from wireless handsets of emergency services personnellocated within the incident response area.
 42. The server-readabletangible storage medium of claim 35 having stored thereonserver-processor executable instructions configured to cause a serverprocessor such that the step of selecting emergency services personnelnot located within the incident response area that should be included inthe telephone directory file further comprises: identifying a responseplan corresponding to the incident type; and determining from theidentified response plan emergency services personnel and governmentpersonnel that should be included in the telephone directory file. 43.The server-readable tangible storage medium of claim 33 having storedthereon server-processor executable instructions configured to cause aserver processor such that the step of delivering the telephonedirectory file to the wireless handsets of emergency services personnellocated within the incident response area comprises delivering thetelephone directory file to every wireless handset listed in thetelephone directory file.
 44. The server-readable tangible storagemedium of claim 33 having stored thereon server-processor executableinstructions configured to cause a server processor such that the stepof delivering the telephone directory file to the wireless handsets ofemergency services personnel located within the incident response areacomprises: notifying wireless handsets to establish a data communicationconnection to a central database server; establishing a datacommunication connection between the central database server and thewireless handsets; and downloading the telephone directory file towireless handsets via the established data communication connection. 45.The server-readable tangible storage medium of claim 33 having storedthereon server-processor executable instructions configured to cause aserver processor such that the step of delivering the telephonedirectory file to the wireless handsets of emergency services personnellocated within the incident response area comprises transmitting thetelephone directory file to the wireless handsets using XML-based OverThe Air transmissions in accordance with Open Mobile Alliance DataSynchronization standards.
 46. The server-readable tangible storagemedium of claim 33 having stored thereon server-processor executableinstructions configured to cause a server processor such that the stepof configuring the telephone directory file comprises configuring thetelephone directory file in accordance with Lightweight Directory AccessProtocol standards.
 47. The server-readable tangible storage medium ofclaim 33 having stored thereon server-processor executable instructionsconfigured to cause a server processor to perform steps furthercomprising: receiving a request to add an individual to the telephonedirectory file; verifying that the request is from any of a number ofpersons authorized to add individuals to the telephone directory file;receiving a telephone number of a new wireless handset of the individualto be added to the telephone directory file if the request is from theany of a number of persons authorized to add individuals to thetelephone directory file; contacting the individual to be added at thereceived telephone number; obtaining identification information from theindividual to be added; storing the obtained identification informationand received new wireless handset telephone number in the database ofemergency services personnel; revising the telephone directory file toincluded the individual to be added; delivering the revised telephonedirectory file to the new wireless handset of the individual to beadded; and delivering the revised telephone directory file to thewireless handsets of emergency services personnel located within theincident response area.
 48. The server-readable tangible storage mediumof claim 33 having stored thereon server-processor executableinstructions configured to cause a server processor to perform stepsfurther comprising: receiving a report of an old wireless handset nolonger in the incident response area; revising the telephone directoryfile to delete a telephone number of the old wireless handset no longerin the incident response area; and delivering the revised telephonedirectory file to the wireless handsets of emergency services personnellocated within the incident response area.
 49. A system, comprising: acentral database server coupled to a network; and a plurality ofwireless handsets used by emergency services personnel, wherein thecentral database server comprises: a server processor; a networkinterface circuit coupled to the server processor, the network interfacecircuit configured to connect the server processor to the network; and amemory storage unit coupled to the server processor, the memory storageunit having stored thereon a database of emergency services personnelincluding contact information of emergency services personnel, whereinthe server processor is configured with processor-executableinstructions to perform steps comprising: determining which wirelesshandsets used by emergency services personnel are located within anincident response area; configuring a telephone directory file includingcontact information of the emergency services personnel located withinthe incident response area using information contained in the centraldatabase; and transmitting the telephone directory file to the pluralityof wireless handsets, and each of the plurality of wireless handsetscomprises: a wireless handset processor; a transceiver coupled to thewireless handset processor, the transceiver configured to connect thewireless handset processor to a cellular communication network; and awireless handset memory coupled to the wireless handset processor, thememory configured to store the telephone directory file, wherein thewireless handset processor is configured with processor-executableinstructions to perform steps comprising: receiving via the transceiverthe telephone directory file transmitted by the central database server;and storing the received telephone directory file in the wirelesshandset memory.
 50. The system of claim 49, further comprising a switchon wheels deployed in the incident response area, the switch on wheelscomprising: a switch processor; a cellular communications transceivercoupled to the switch processor; and a satellite communication uplinkunit coupled to the switch processor, wherein the switch processor isconfigured with processor-executable software instructions to performsteps comprising: providing a private cellular communication network viathe cellular communications transceiver; identifying wireless handsetsconnected to the private cellular communication network with identifier;and transmitting the identifiers of the wireless handsets connected tothe private cellular communication network to the central databaseserver via the satellite uplink unit, wherein the server processor stepof determining which wireless handsets of emergency services personnelare located within the incident response area comprises: receiving fromthe switch on wheels the identifiers of the wireless handsets connectedto the private cellular communication network; and using the wirelesshandset identifiers to look up corresponding emergency servicespersonnel records within the database of emergency services personnel.51. The system of claim 49, wherein the central database serverprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions such thatthe step of determining which wireless handsets of emergency servicespersonnel located are within the incident response area comprises:sending a message to each of the wireless handsets requesting each ofthe wireless handsets to report their location; receiving locationreports from the wireless handsets of emergency services personnel; andcomparing received location reports to a location of the incident toidentify those wireless handsets within the incident response area, andwherein each of the plurality of wireless handset's wireless handsetprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions toperform steps further comprising: receiving the message from the centraldatabase server requesting the wireless handsets to report theirlocation; generating a location report of the wireless handset; andtransmitting the location report to the central database server.
 52. Thesystem of claim 49, wherein the central database server processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions such that the step ofdetermining which wireless handsets of emergency services personnellocated are within the incident response area comprises: sending amessage to wireless handsets of emergency services personnel identifyinga location of the incident and requesting the wireless handsets toreport their location; and receiving location reports from wirelesshandsets of emergency services personnel located with in the incidentresponse area, and wherein each of the plurality of wireless handset'swireless handset processor is configured with processor-executableinstructions to perform steps further comprising: receiving the messagefrom the central database server identifying a location of the incidentand requesting the wireless handsets to report their location;determining a location of the wireless handset; comparing the determinedlocation of the wireless handset to the received incident location todetermine if the wireless handset is within the incident response area;and transmitting a location report to the central database server if thewireless handset is within the incident response area.